The marbled murrelet is a robin-sized marine diving bird that nests in old growth coastal forests from Alaska to northern California, but spends much of its life at sea, feeding on small fish near shore. Although marbled murrelets have a life expectancy of 10-15 years, they have a low reproductive rate. The birds do not become sexually active until their second or third year, and may not breed annually. Female marbled murrelets lay a single egg.

Marbled murrelet populations have declined since the early 1900s as timber harvests have increased, but little historical population data exists to determine the extent of the decline. Little data also exists to support the current population estimates of 5,000 breeding birds in Washington. Distribution is scattered, with concentrations tied to available mature forest habitat.

In 1988, the National Audubon Society filed a petition with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list the marbled murrelet as a threatened species in Washington, Oregon and California under the Endangered Species Act. Timber harvesting was identified as a primary cause of the bird’s population decline. Oil spills and marine gillnetting were also included as contributing factors. The marbled murrelet was listed as a threatened species in September 1992.

Tribal fisheries in areas with marbled murrelets are subject to several time, place and manner restrictions to avoid harming the bird. After several years of intense monitoring it was found was found that interactions between fishing nets and murrelets were extremely rare.